Get Exclusive ACA Survey Findings—Last Day to Participate

The “play or pay” rules under the Affordable Care Act have been in effect for less than four months, but many staffing firms already have a preliminary sense of the law’s effect on their business. Last week, ASA launched a survey to collect data on staffing firms’ experiences with the ACA.

Survey results will be presented at the 2015 ASA Staffing Law Conference session “The ACA Four Months In—What Staffing Firms Need to Know Now.” ASA senior counsel Ed Lenz will share data on the types of health insurance plans staffing firms are offering, employee participation in those plans, the number of employees receiving subsidized coverage in state health exchanges, and how clients have reacted to the new law.

All U.S. staffing firms are invited to participate in the ACA Compliance Survey, which closes today. Responses will be kept confidential and reported in aggregate form.

TSR Inc. reported revenues of $14.2 million in the fiscal third quarter of 2015, up 17.2% from $12.2 million in the fiscal third quarter of 2014. The company reported a net loss of $85,000, compared with a net loss of $91,000 in the year-ago quarter.

The four-week rolling average for staffing employment edged up from 99.2 in October to 99.4 in November, rising to the highest value for any month in nearly three years, according to the ASA Staffing Index. Temporary and contract staffing employment in November was 1.6% higher than the same month last year. Read more about the... See the Staffing Stat ›

U.S. Growth Seen Slower Amid Dollar Headwinds

Sixty-two economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal have forecast that the economy grew by 1.4% in the first quarter, down from the 3.0% pace forecast for the first quarter in January. They altered their forecast based on factors such as a strong dollar, the West Coast ports slowdown, and a rough winter in parts of the U.S. The economists anticipate gross domestic product will grow at an inflation-adjusted rate of 2.7% for all of 2015, a pace below the 3.0% pace projected at the start of 2015, but the downgrade reflects the lower estimates of first-quarter activity.

Factories Be Warned: U.S. Wholesalers Face an Inventory Glut

Sales of durable goods at U.S. wholesalers in January and February saw the biggest two-month decline since early 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Demand has fallen, and stockpiles have accumulated. The inventory-to-sales ratio is near a six-year high. As a result, the nation’s manufacturers may see a downturn in production. The Institute for Supply Management’s factory index has declined for five consecutive months, falling to an almost two-year low in March.

May 21—”Power Marketing for Staffing Firms“Understand how developing a marketing plan, and integrating it with your company’s sales and recruiting efforts, can give your staffing firm a competitive edge.

ASA Staffing Today is published by the American Staffing Association, with news abstracts copyrighted in 2015 by Information Inc., Bethesda, MD, and all other content copyrighted in 2015 by ASA. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.